By: Gabby Zhou

The 2024 Tour de France Winner
The 2024 Tour de France started in Florence, Italy on June 29, and finished in Nice, France on July 21. The race did not finish anywhere near Paris as preparations for the Olympics are taking place there. It was no surprise when Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar won the race. He beat his long time rival Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, “by 1 minute and 3 seconds during a 21-mile time trial that finished in Nice, France, on Sunday.” (NPR, 2024)

Introduction to Tadej Pogacar
Tadej Pogacar, also known as Poji, is a Slovenian professional cyclist, aged 25. Currently riding for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates, he has won three Tours de France (2020, 2021, and 2024), the 2024 Giro d’Italia, and six one-day Monuments (Tour of Flanders once, Liege–Bastogne–Liege twice, and Giro di Lombardia three times.) Pogacar said after the race: “I cannot describe how happy I am after two hard years in the Tour de France. This year everything [was] perfection.”

Tadej Pogacar’s Future
Tadej Pogacar recently declined his spot on the 2024 Paris Olympics due to fatigue shortly after the Tour de France ended, “choosing instead to focus on the Zurich World Championships which arrive in September on a course that suits him” (Cycling News, 2024). According to a post on social media app Instagram from Slovenia Olympics Team “Unfortunately, Tadej Pogačar will not be among them. He will be replaced by national team colleague Domen Novak. We wish Domen all the best and success.” Tadej Pogacar is one of the best cyclists according to many. We hope the best for him in his future.

Resources Used

The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/21/sports/cycling/pogacar-tour-de-france.html

The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/21/tadej-pogacar-wraps-up-tour-de-france-victory-to-seal-historic-double

NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/22/nx-s1-5048581/tour-de-france-winner-tadej-pogacar

ESPN:
https://www.espn.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/40610879/tadej-pogacar-wins-tour-de-france-third

Procycling stats:
https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/tadej-pogacar

Cycling News:
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tadej-pogacar-withdraws-from-paris-2024-olympics-after-winning-tour-de-france/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9uzGZdNgff/?hl=en